Imzadi
by Yonna7
Summary: The year is 2260 and Khan has been in cryostasis for almost a year. War has become an inevitable problem and The Federation has no choice but to awaken the dangerous augment. Mental wars are fought for control and soon the Federation is in need of assistance. A new figure emerges as the key to the future of the galaxy. (OC as a major character.) T for language and implied sex.
1. Prologue

Author's Note: Many of my female leads are black and do not fit the norm in other ways as well. This is because I believe in representation everywhere. I want every girl to be able to connect to some character and I know through experience that it's hard to find certain traits. As my skills become better I will start to expand the characteristics of my heroines to allow everyone to be able to connect with my characters. So please have patience. Though my writing still needs much improvement, I am working hard to better myself so that others can enjoy decent stories.

* * *

Khan was extremely aware of the guards at the door, the nurse whose back was turned toward him and the tight shackles on his wrists.

And this irritated him to no end.

The fact that he knew nothing about what was going on; that he did not even know the year was forcing him to take note of insignificant things, such as the nurse's quiet clicking on her PADD. This was the second time he had been woken up from cryostasis and he was tired of sitting through a tense examination for no reason. Everyone knew his body was superior and would therefore heal yet they insisted on checking his vitals as if he were in danger of anything. He was tired of the waiting game, wanted to know his surroundings. He wanted to know where his family was. And he wanted to know what the Federation wanted.

* * *

"It is highly illogical to awaken Khan Noonien-Singh from cryostasis under any circumstances. I recommend immediate re-freezing before he does harm to any other Federation officials and innocents." Spock's deep voice seemed to be spread throughout the room in a monotonous range. But those present who knew him, James T. Kirk, Nyota Uhura, and Dr. Leonard McCoy took note of the ounce of emotion that made his words draw out by a millisecond, which made him overly enunciate and caused his voice to come out slightly hushed. And even though he knew of it, Kirk still stated his case.

"We cannot just ignore that people are _dying. _No matter what he has done in the past we need him now. No one else can help us and you know it. Don't let pride get in the way." Before the admiral could respond, Spock had spoken up.

"Pride? At what point is pride a value needed to come to this conclusion? It is based off of facts. Noonien-Singh is manipulative, intelligent, and ultimately superior than any of us at the moment. We have been used once and lives have been lost as a result. Why should we risk more lives using a means that we know to be unstable?"

"Because what else can we do?! You said it yourself he is superior. Who the hell else is going to even have a chance at saving them!?" The meeting had turned from a deliberative discussion of the Federations decision to awaken Khan to a full on argument, albeit one-sided, between Kirk and Spock. The Admiral let them continue. There was a reason why Spock and Kirk were best together: because they created a ying yang dynamic that ensured that the best conclusion could be drawn up. Kirks' passion and Spock's logic were perfect to reach a median means.

The continued their hot cold argument whilst the Admiral and several Federation officials sat at war table. The only two that did not technically belong in the situation were Uhura and Bones. But they had also had the most contact with Khan besides Kirk and Spock; with Uhura having been rescued by him and Bones having taken him down and having been able to study his physiology.

"There are only one of him and how many of us?! You are worrying over nothing. He can't do anything but help us! He has no choice."

"He will always have a choice. He will find a way to get what he wants and if we put too much trust in him we will have no choice but to comply. Awaking him at all gives him too much power."

"He's awake now and we could just as easily put him back in cryostasis as we could use him for the better good. Isn't that what you're always talking about?"

"He almost killed us all and succeeded in killing you. He is violent, dangerous and a flight risk. His goal is to kill all beings that he deems unsuitable. He has the mental capabilities to make it happen under the right circumstances. He is manipulative enough to create those circumstances anywhere. It is illogical to even consider that he could put forth anything that would advance the greater good." Everyone held their breath for Kirks' response. The finality of Spock's voice had struck a chord with several of the presiding members of the board. They were beginning to doubt their decision to awaken Khan, fear and doubt settling in their minds. They had come to a dead end and had done the only thing they could think of to save themselves and others. Was it too dangerous? Was Khan too dangerous to be controlled?

James too had heard the tone of Spock's voice. His words had rocked his opinion but he still held fast. There was no other option but Khan. And he'd be damned if he let his Vulcan friend ruin the chance to save millions of lives all over the galaxy. "It doesn't matter what you say. He's already awake. We can't go back now."

* * *

Author's Note: This is just a little prologue into the unease of the galaxy at the moment. Gives you a taste of the setting. Next chapter will be a bit more interesting. It's also very likely that I will change the title of this. I struggled for over an hour to decide on a name and Imzadi (which is a Betazed word. We'll get there later) really spoke to me. However there is a non-canon published book also called that and I don't want to get in trouble nor do I want people to think that this is a fanfiction based off of that.

So to be clear: I do not own Imzadi or any variations or series of Star Trek. All rights belong to rightful owners (Peter David, etc).

And for those wondering, yes Uhura and Spock are in a relationship at this point in time. I may write a story on how they came to be (which will of course take place before any of the films). But this story focuses on Khan and how he finds his humanity again. And how else would he do that besides by falling in love! Yes the love interest will be an OC. Unlike my other story I will not be taking OC's for this because it gets really hectic and I would hate to disappoint someone. Updates will be sporadic because of heavy work load I have. And to those people whose OC haven't made an appearance in my other story; it's not that I've forgotten. It's just that I haven't updated. I'm so sorry about the lack of responsibility and I promise that I will at least try and get The Orb to that point where your character appears but for me, that story has died. I don't know if I can revive it. My writing is horrible in it and makes me really upset to read over it. I'm surprised so many people liked it. That doesn't mean I won't try though. I will attempt to bring it back up to par. But thank you all for reading. Until next time.

Live long and prosper.


	2. Chapter 1

There was not much to say in response. At least, that was what Kirk thought. Yet Khan sat there as if seriously contemplating what he would say. As if he had a choice. He was not awakened to be bargained with but just as Spock had predicted it appeared as if he would attempt to do just that.

Kirk struggled not to fidget in front of the man, but he was growing agitated. There really was only one choice. Assist the Federation in winning the war that he had partly caused. Spock sat still and calm next to him as they faced the restrained man but Kirk knew that Spock was just as confused as he – if not more so. The Admiral had assigned him and Kirk to negotiate with the captive, something that Kirk found absolutely ridiculous. Khan was a captive. What possible negotiations needed to even take place? He was a prisoner and had no choice but to listen to them.

But here he was, he and Spock, waiting for the man that he hated with a passion to deliberate over his answer like the pompous ass he was. Kirk began to think back about the hateful man; their first encounter, watching him kill his friends and mentor.

"No," Kirk was snapped back from the past by Khan's bass voice reverberating through the room.

"No?" Spock responded with the slightest of frowns. There was no logic to this answer. If he did not do as he was asked he would be returned to his cryogenic tube. "If you do not mind my asking, how did you come to the conclusion?" He was genuinely perplexed by the answer.

"You must not have heard us right," Kirk can feel a vein throbbing painfully in his forehead as he struggled to maintain his composure. He would not lose it in front of this criminal. It would make him too happy. "You were awakened to assist in the war. No other reason. There is no alternative."

"You must not have heard _me_ right. I declined. What would I gain for fighting this petty war for you? Will you free my people and me? Would you agree to allow me full access to anything I need? No. You would not. There is nothing to be gained from helping the Federation in this war besides being returned to a cryogenic tube after matters anyway." Khan sat with his back impossibly straight, thinly veiling his disgust at the Federation Imbeciles across from him. Of all people the current admiral just had to send them.

"You have not thought this through logically. You will immediately be returned to a cryostasis if you do not assist us." Spock, as always was trying to convince someone of the mathematics of the situation. He was responding to Khan's firmness as he would react to Kirk's over enthusiasm. He had long ago prepared himself for this meeting and had made sure that he was ready to let his logical side take over. If that was not there to rein him in, Spock was positive that he would not be able to stop himself from harming the man. Or at least trying to harm him. He still remembered the struggle that he had gone through with the looming man on the other side of the table.

"Vulcan, my decision is made. Take me back to my chambers. Put me back in that damned tube. My fate is sealed and cannot be changed. Why should I show you mercy and help? You are not worth it."

Silence sang out across the room. That vein was ticking painfully in Kirk's temple and now Spock's jaw had begun to hurt from the strength with which he had clenched his teeth. Logic was becoming increasingly bleary in his mind and what little Kirk possessed had completely passed by now.

Finally Kirk opened his mouth to speak. His voice had dropped in tone, his eyes never left Khan. It was a mental battle for dominance. "Guards," He directed, still staring heavily at Khan. "Escort Prisoner 1-I-9-F to his _cell._"

The unnatural quiet stayed even after he was gone and Kirk and Spock sat fuming.

"The Admiral made it clear that Khan's agreement be obtained." That was the first sound in the room after 15 minutes of tense energy.

"Well it's not happenin'. God, I need a drink." Kirk rubbed a hand through his hair. He'd meant what he'd said. Khan was only awake solely for winning the war. He had no choice. Just like the Federation had no choice. This war was hinged on his participation. And he hated what that entailed.

They needed Khan Noonien-Singh. 

* * *

Author's Note: Extra fake bonus points alert! Who can decode the meaning of Khan's prisoner ID. I want to know what you think it means and how it came to be. And heads up, next chapter is going to be the continuation of war talk. I plan for chapter 3 to finally introduce (at least verbally) our lovely heroine! Who do you think is going to hold out mentally? Kirk or Khan?

-Love and Joy


	3. Chapter 2

"This is not an option, Captain Kirk."

"Well, Admiral," Kirk's voice came out forced with frustration. Nothing was turning out the way he had expected, or rather hoped. And here was the Admiral wanting results as if Kirk could just make it happen. He was a captain, not a magician. "You wanted us to go in and make negotiations and Prisoner 1-I-9-F is not cooperating. What is your next move?" As of late he had taken to calling Khan by his ID on the compound located on Betazed. Even though he hadn't seen him since the last encounter he almost felt like it gave him some sort of power. He felt as if he was knocking Khan off of that high horse he had situated himself on. To call him by a number took away some of the weight- some of the significance- that would always be carried with his name.

"We have to earn his trust," The Admiral murmured to himself. Spock and Kirk glanced at each other. The Admiral had only recently come into office and prior to that, rumors had already been floating around about him and his behavior. From their memories, previous admirals had been serious stoic men who governed with an iron fist. This new one, Admiral Jackson, seemed more suited to sit on a veranda and smoke cigars than to run the Federation. The fact that he was even talking about earning the trust of a prisoner baffled Kirk and Spock.

But his prowess as a leader was something that could not be questioned. Neither could his ability to read people. While being considered for the position it became clear that though he played the fool he more calculating than any other candidate. Everything he did had a purpose. Kirk was trying to keep this mind yet his was struggling to see what type of sense could be made with earning Prisoner 1-I-9-F's trust. He never trusted anyone and could not be trusted himself.

"Admiral, I do not think it possible to do so." Spock was cautiously arming himself for a logical debate. The Admiral did not sit well with him. He could never sense whether or not he was attempting to be logical or whimsical. He could not settle him into a category and regarded him warily. The only other person he had struggled to label was Uhura and her motives soon became clear and so she was no longer a problem. At least, most of the time. However, Admiral Jackson treated him with the same benevolent smile and cordial attitude as others and so Spock attempted to push back the nervous buzz that seemed to accompany him whenever the Admiral settled his attention on him.

"It's not? I think so," Jackson was aware of the Vulcan's unease around him and it was a source of slight amusement to him. Most things were amusing to him whether it be because of his own narcissistic attitude toward things or just the irony that he seemed to find in every situation. Such as the one that Kirk had so unhappily pointed out.

"How do you plan to accomplish it? The Federation, especially Starfleet, does not have a clean track record with him."

"Exactly." Jackson wondered when Kirk would get it. At the moment, he was sitting quietly with a frown on his face, obviously trying to work out the meaning of what Jackson was suggesting. He was certain that the young emotional captain would get it before the logical Vulcan.

"Is that to suggest that this fact works in our favor? I fail to see how. He has been used and lied to for the majority of his life by those in similar position as us."

"How was he used by Admiral Marcus?"

"His crew was used as motivation for obeying the former Admiral's command."

"Yes." Jackson waited. Surely they would understand now. But Kirk's frown only deepened and Spock appeared to have given up on attempting to reason with him.

"You are suggesting that we blackmail him with his crew again?" Kirk finally spoke up, disgust evident in his tone. He hated Khan for killing his friends but he had once pointed out something very valid to him. He loved his crew and was willing to do anything to protect them. Khan had questioned him on what he wouldn't do for his crew, his family. It made him sick to think that he would have to use others to control Khan. Khan had used the same tactic on him and he wouldn't wish that stress on anyone.

"Oh no," Jackson chuckled at the animosity that had begun to roll off of Kirk and the immediate relief following his denial. "That's old news. Khan will be expecting that. Find something else."

"Admiral!" Kirk could feel the heat rushing to his face.

"Admiral, am I to understand that you wish to force Khan into cooperation? Through threats?" Spock spoke before he could finish the sentence, hoping to give his friend time to calm down.

"Of course. How else do you suppose we're going to get him to help? Fear is very persuasive. I'm open to suggestions."

"So is anger!" Kirk choked out angrily.

"What would we be using to 'persuade' him?" Spock threw a warning glance in Kirk's direction. He had no idea how this seemingly relaxed Admiral would react to Kirk's infamous mouth.

"Anything. Just find something that he holds up to importance. His crew is no longer an option. He will have lost faith that we will do anything regarding them, no matter what we say." He doesn't trust us anymore in that case, he thought bitterly.

"What could possibly be of importance here? He's been in cryostasis for almost 300 years. It's highly improbably that anything of relevance to him is in existence besides his crew."

"That's your job. Go find it. There has to be something. Find it or think of some other way to get him to cooperate." He turned from them then, hitting a button that turned on the intercom. "Lacey, I'm terribly hungry. How about some tea and cake this afternoon? I have a sweet tooth." It was a dismissal in an unofficial way and Kirk and Spock took the hint. They stood to leave and Kirk spoke once again.

"How is blackmail earning his trust?"

"He'll trust that we'll do whatever possible to get what we want. Have a nice day and get to work. I want an update in two days."

* * *

Author's Note: What do you all think of Admiral Jackson? So far he is the most interesting character I feel I've written. Expect a lot of him. Did anyone catch an old reference in the first paragraph? Let me know what you think it is. I'll reveal what it was in chapter 4. I'll reveal the answer to Khan's prison ID in chapter 3. So far I love the guesses that people have about what it means.


	4. Chapter 3

Lieutenant Harvey kept his eyes focused intently on the ground. His nerves were going haywire and he was just waiting for something to happen. For the man with the dangerous aura to somehow break his bonds, to then break through the cell that contained him, and attack. Why had he been put on duty here of all places? He was a young and inexperienced - yet when he reported for his orders he had been assigned as a guard to the one prisoner currently held on the new Federation base located on Betazed.

Prisoner 1-I-9-F.

There had been an announcement made to the whole staff of the base as soon as he had arrived and been awaken. And Lieutenant Harvey had been thoroughly petrified by his superior's stern warning of this man. And for him to be put on guard duty so soon after, was making him sweat and silently panic at the sight of the man.

He was large and pale – from lack of seeing the light of day in years – and he sat ram rod straight without saying a word or acknowledging anything. In fact, when Lieutenant Harvey had come to relieve the other guard he had looked him up and down without comment and then turned his eyes away to the wall. And that was that. But Lieutenant Harvey had a nagging feeling that there was danger; that he needed to flee and tell the first person he saw that Prisoner 1-I-9-F was not as Admiral and Commanders had described. He was worse.

He trusted his instinct, just like Admiral Jackson. This was why Jackson had specifically had him assigned to guard duty, though Lieutenant Harvey was completely unaware of his involvement. While reviewing his employees' profile, Jackson had come across Lieutenant Harvey's profile and seen his unique abilities.

Lieutenant Harvey was Lumerian and so had empathetic abilities. Immediately plans had been formed and now the young lieutenant was aiding in the process. As soon as his shift was over he would be called to the Admiral's office to relay all that he had felt in that room. But the only thing the lieutenant would be able to tell him was that he felt as if he were in danger.

Because he could not feel any emotion from Prisoner 1-I-9-F. 

* * *

Uhura's eyes burned as she gazed at the screen. Spock had asked for her assistance and she was currently situated in Kirk's quarters. Inside sat Kirk himself, Spock, Bones, and Uhura. This was supposed to be a "brainstorming" meeting about finding anything about Khan but they all sat quiet. Uhura wasn't sure what they all expected. The man had had been in cryostasis for the majority of the last few centuries. He didn't exactly have time to make friends, especially given his lovely personality.

"There is something. _Something_. He wasn't underneath Marcus 24-7. He had to do something other than plot." Kirk chewed on a pen.

"Highly illogical," Spock murmured. There was nothing on the screen yet Uhura still stared. Her fingers rested on the pad, ready to jump into action the minute a thought occurred. "Perhaps the former admiral had him under surveillance," Spock's eyes traveled toward Uhura to search for anything that would imply that in past records. But she seemed frozen. "Uhura?"

Suddenly she violently pushed back from her station, startling everyone in the room.

"God, you scared the hell out of me!"

"Are you alright?"

"Hm?" Bones had fallen asleep and he groggily acknowledged the change in the room before slipping back into rest.

"Something!" Uhura turned toward Kirk, eyes bright and once again active. "You said something."

"Yes…and?"

"It's not some_thing_; it's some_one_." She began to gesture about her epiphany only to be greeted by blank stares.

"He was not a sociable person. I do not think he had the time to anything of the sort. He had other things to be concerned about."

"Why? What was he concerned about? People. People! He couldn't just ignore everyone around him; he thrives off of relationships."

"He was -excuse me, is- an arrogant ass who thinks he's better than everyone. Uhura, he doesn't like normal people." Kirk tiredly rubbed a hand over his face.

"Think about it. Logically," She looked at Spock while she said that. "He needs relationships. He hadn't been around people in centuries. It would be naïve to think he wouldn't talk to anyone. We know that he manipulated at least one person already, Thomas Harewood. So who is to say that there aren't others? There has to be others. He talked to people. He was around people. He interacted with people. He needed to. We've just got to find them."

There was another silence as Kirk and Spock seemed to silently converse about the idea. Uhura was beginning to feel irritated. They were acting as if they had any ideas themselves!

"What are you waiting for," Bones grumbled as he stretched. "She's got an idea so use it. You got anything better?"

"Thank you," Uhura turned back to the computer without waiting for them to agree with her. They all knew they were going to go with it. She started to look for any images from common surveillance on earth. That was how they had first seen him. Some street camera had caught a glimpse of him. She would just need to find more, even if it took her all night.

The search took her all night and well into the morning. 14 hours of work, with small bathroom and food breaks in between. They all worked on separate computers and PADDs while they attempting to find some new aspect of Khan: Bones searched for any archived medical reports all the way back to 1980; Spock researched everything he could about augments as a refresher course about human history; and Kirk went out and tried to seduce information out of Admiral Jackson's secretary (for some unnecessary reason). 

* * *

Finally, at 4 in the morning, Uhura began to notice a trend in his sporadic appearances and she focused on persons in the area. And that's when she got a concrete image of Khan with someone – a tenant in the building across the way from the camera

"I've got someone."

"Really? Who?" Kirk was the only one to respond because Bones had once again slipped into a coma and odd as it was, Spock had followed suit.

"Miss Delilah S. Warren. She lives in downtown San Francisco. I'm sending you and Spock the address."

"Finally an excuse to get back to earth. These Betazed women are beginning to scare me. Spock, get up." 

* * *

Author's Note: First off, thank you for all of the support by favoriting (that's not a real word but it will be for my purposes) and adding this story to your alerts! It makes me really happy to know that people are enjoying my new style of writing. I'm trying to be detached because of the atmosphere of the story and so as it moves along and more emotions come into play I will start to use more descriptive words and the conversations will become more advanced.

Now, you guys finally get to meet Miss Delilah! I've been dreaming of her and what she'll be like. So in my head I already have all of the chemistry between her and Khan and I just love it. I was thinking about what to name her for the longest without giving it any real thought. So when it came to give you all a name I just pulled one out of thin air. I was in between some type of flower or Delia so I went with Delilah. The S stands for Something Special (no that is not the meaning. It has a purpose and you'll find out later.). I was also stuck between naming her Peace or Warren (mainly because I just love the sound of Warren Peace i.e. War and Peace.) but I ultimately thought I'd go with Warren because Peace just seemed too…ironic considering who she's going to be with. In my head I was thinking that years and years later there would be some spawn of the two of them, maybe a great grand kid, named Warren Peace and then my common sense came back and told me to stop being stupid. For the big reveal of Khan's prison ID origins, it goes like this: In the original series Khan was placed into cryostasis in the year 1996. I just alternated every other number with the corresponding letter in the alphabet. I almost had him called Prisoner 1996 but why not get technical (for awhile I got too technical and his ID was about 15 characters long.). Can anyone guess why Kirk is scared of the Betazed women?

Oh, and one more note. Grammar. My grammar is horrible and I try to write to the best of my abilities but my mind works faster than my fingers and I sometimes end up wording sentences wrong, skipping letters and words, or just utterly failing. Forgive me. Everything will be edited at the end of the story to ensure that the best quality will be the end result. Until then, bear with my subtle issues.


	5. Chapter 4

"What do you mean 'she hasn't lived here in months'?" Kirk was becoming more irritated by the second – a feeling that never seemed to alleviate lately. After arriving back to Earth, not only had Spock killed any chances of him enjoying himself for awhile, but the woman was becoming suspiciously hard to locate. This was the third address that they had tracked and the third time that a landlord had said that she had left. She had barely stayed at the first two places for a month. And her first move had occurred right after Khan had crashed the Vengeance into San Francisco.

"She left. Sweet girl, too –would have been an excellent tenant had she stayed. Y'know she tried to pay me extra for living so early? Thought she was being terribly rude. I told her to keep it, child! You need it more than I do." Mrs. Avery Batista flailed her hands while she spoke.

"Did she leave a forwarding address?" Spock seemed unperturbed by this "Delilah" pulling disappearing acts every month.

"No, dear. She said no one would be trying to contact her. I said of course that's not true! Such a lovely girl like you, someone has to want to talk to you. But you she just smiled at me, she had a really pretty smile-"

"Do you have a picture of her?" Kirk quickly cut off the woman's rambling. She would talk for days about nothing if he didn't put her back on track.

"Oh, no. Not me. We had a big tenant picnic after she moved in, pre-planned of course, but she had excellent timing. My father made that tradition. Always treat your tenants nicely and they will pay their bills on time. Anyways, we take pictures then since it's a yearly thing. Delilah said she was too camera shy to do anything and went to go more refreshments. Wasn't that sweet of her?"

"More like convenient." Kirk had the feeling that Delilah was purposely being difficult. She knew what she had gotten into with Khan and now she was running.

"What did you say you wanted her for again?" Kirk's comment had made the woman cautious, as if she was just now recognized that an official from the Federation was at her door.

"We have been asked to forward her some rather important information but we can't seem to find her." Spock smoothly replied. _And they say Vulcans can't lie_, Kirk thought with a smirk growing on his face.

"Oh? I would think with the war going on the Federation would have more important things to be worried about. Well, as I was saying," She then cast a reproachful look at Kirk. "_I_ don't have any photos of her. But Erica, she lived across the hall. She's very sweet too-but in a different way. She was friendly with Delilah, though I can't think of anyone who wasn't. Delilah was just so nice you can't help but like her." Kirk assumed it was all pretenses, a way to hide who she really was from nosy landladies. "Erica is a budding photographer. She wants to travel and take pictures all over the galaxy. Isn't that great? She can do it, too. She has talent. She runs around here taking pictures of everything. Erica might have pictures of Delilah."

"Would, Miss Erica happen to be home now?" Spock had taken control over the conversation, noting the animosity that Kirk and the woman were sending toward each other.

"Let me think…Today is Tuesday isn't it? Yes? Well she should be home from her classes by now. Apartment 370. If she's up, would you be a darling and send her down to me? I promised I'd bake with her today and I forgot to pick up some flour. I'm sure she'll go get it for me. She's sweet like that." 

* * *

Erica was not only a budding photographer but a budding sketch artist as well. The only thing she had of Delilah - when questioned -was a shadowing picture of her arm.

"Miss Avery just gushes over how 'sweet' everyone is. I mean, sure. Delilah was nice. But she wasn't all that friendly. She said her hellos and goodbyes and her pleases and thanks yous. But she just tucked herself into her little room and didn't really want to hang. Every time I invited her somewhere, something magically came up. So when she finally gave me the okay to draw her I was excited but still a bit put out. All I could think about was how mysterious she was. She wasn't enrolled in any classes like most of us here and she stayed to herself. She ended up falling asleep waiting for me to get myself together and I ended up just drawing her arm because she was sprawled out. That was the most relaxed I'd ever seen her. The most free." Spock had noticed the how all this information had been strictly told to Kirk and didn't mind it. However the moment she had offered to use Kirk as a model he shut down the situation.

"Did she tell you where she was going?"

"Hm? No. Like I said, not all that friendly. She said thanks for the fun and left. What fun? We had no fun."

"Can you a draw a picture of her for us?" At this, Erica glanced out her window.

"No."

"No? You're great, I'm sure you could-" For a moment, Kirk remembered what he was supposed to be doing.

"No. I have to go help Miss Avery." She stood and went toward the door. "It was nice meeting you."

"If you have anything at all, you'll let us know. My information is on the table."

"I can't help you. Bye." Erica closed the door soundly behind them.

"That was rather abrupt." Spock strolled away from the door as if he planned to leave the matter at that.

"She knows something."

"Yes."

"We have to get her to talk," Kirk jogged a bit to catch up with Spock.

"Yes."

"Where are you going?" He gave a begrudging nod in the landlady's direction as she cut her eyes at him.

"Back to our room to send a report back to log in the information."

"Well, you do that. I've got to find a bar. This is stressing me out."

"Captain, in my experience, there is a high probability that you will become inebriated to the point that you will not be able to-"

"Go do you log. I'll be back in a couple of hours." Spock frowned slightly. There was more than a high

"Captain-"

"That's an order." 

* * *

Spock lay quietly while staring up at his PADD. He could hear Kirk's quiet movements as he tried to make himself comfortable in the eerie silence that dominated the room. It was 3 in the morning and Kirk was just getting back to their Federation designated apartment. "A couple of hours"? Kirk had been gone for over 12 and Spock chose to show his disapproval through complete silence. The technique had worked on him several times when Nyota had been upset with him.

Kirk fidgeted in the darkness. Spock was acting like some spurned house wife and it was more than a bit unsettling. "Look, what's your problem? I-"

"'A couple of hours,' holds the definition of 2 hours. You have been gone for approximately 12 hours and 47 minutes. We were not sent to earth to drink and participate in other social activities. We're here to find one Miss Delilah S. Warren, take her into custody, and proceed with our negotiations with Khan," Spock had adopted Kirk's habit of interrupting people, particularly when he was upset. It had become a tell tale sign that he was feeling some sort of emotion even if he didn't outwardly show it. He had made sure to tack on that bit about Khan specifically because he had noticed Kirk's preference in calling him a prisoner. He quickly decided to add on one more calmly spoken scold. "The Admiral will not be pleased with your behavior."

"Bullshit, _you're_ the one 'not pleased with my behavior'. Like I was saying, I did go to a bar. But that was after I went back to convince Erica to come with me. And then she took me home," He smirked into the air, thinking about the time they had spent together. "And told me everything she knew about Delilah. I even went out afterwards to check out her story. We now have a place of work to check tomorrow. It was closed by the time I got there."

The silence was the only response he got to his proud story.

"Come on now, Spock. That was good work."

"…" Spock seeming ignored him as he typed away on his PADD. Nyota had sent him a goodnight message.

"Spock. Spock?" Kirk glanced over at the Vulcan whose face was illuminated by light from the PADD.

"…" Spock quietly deliberated whether to call her but seeing as she had mentioned she was tired he opted on a note. She would find it in the morning.

"Spock!"

"That was unnecessary."

"What are you talking about?" Kirk shot up out of his bed. "What did_ you_ do today? Did you find her? All you did was suck up to that old landlady!" He wished the Federation had given them an apartment that had more than one room but for some reason they had forced him to room with Spock. He felt as if he was back in college but instead of relaxing he had to deal with the nosiest roommate in the world.

"I did. I looked up variations of her name and several came up. I narrowed the results by age, location, and occupation. I'm assuming you went to the publishing company on the information that she was working there under temporary contract as a secretary under the name Delia Warden. Did you not?"

"…I went to the company looking for a secretary." Erica had not been able to come up with a name. And now he had a headache and what he felt to the beginning of a hangover. It was worth it. Being with able to be with a human woman and go out for drinks was more than he could ever ask for in the last few months.

"Your time was wasted. You should have come back to the apartment with me; it was the logical thing to do."

"…Goodnight." Kirk rolled over pulling the blanket over his head. Tomorrow he would hopefully meet this Delilah or Delia or whoever and be back on Betazed with his own room that no Vulcan would ever step foot in again.

"I've already set up transportation for us to get there by 9 which is when they open. Estimated time to travel is 3 hours and 45 minutes. The alarms are set to 6 to ensure that you are prepared. Goodnight." He finished his note to Nyota and his last comment had been more for her than for the angry man across on the other side of the room. When he got no response he looked up from his PADD to see Kirk's form huddled near the wall. A smirk threatened to come onto his face as his thoughts wandered toward malicious glee that Kirk would barely have 3 hours to sleep before a long day of work.

He should have gone home with Spock. 

* * *

6 hours later, they walked into the publishing house. It was quiet and neat, with the few people inside hardly speaking above a whisper. There seemed to be one lone employee: a secretary. Kirk found himself analyzing her, wondering what had happened that caused her to get involved with Khan. What had he used against her.

Her hair was dark and pulled back leaving a cocoa colored heart shaped face to be viewed. Kirk felt as if she was too delicate to handle Khan just looking at her. Was this really the woman? There were three sides to keep in mind, either she was too weak to have even caught Khan's attention, she now looked so meek because of what Khan had done, or this wasn't the woman. Considering their luck Kirk felt as if this wasn't the woman. She was sitting in the sole desk of in the room, right in front of the door that presumably led to her employer's office, with her eyes cast down toward some files.

"Excuse me," Spock had decided to speak to her seeing as Kirk seemed preoccupied.

"Yes, do you have an appointment?" She still hadn't looked up; instead she slid her fingers over a keyboard as she continued to work at the efficient pace she had set.

"No, we are looking for Delia Warden. Would that happen to be you? We were informed that this is her shift and place of work." At this she finally lifted her eyes, glancing back and forth between the two of them. For a moment, Kirk thought her pretty but ignored it. This could be a criminal as well.

"I'm Christine. This is Delia's shift, but she called me last night and asked me to cover for her." Kirk had to suppress a grown and Spock could feel his muscles clench as he fought down a frown. Where was this woman? Why was she always one step ahead of them? "Do you know this is the second time someone has asked for her today? Who are you?"

"I am Captain Kirk and this is my first officer," Kirk thought it odd that she did not know who he was considering all of the recent events but pushed it down. What did it matter if she wasn't Delilah? He watched the dark eyes widen a bit and he was reminded of a cat. "Did she say why? Do you know where we can find her?"

"No," Once again her eyes had drifted to the computer, more concerned with her job than the Federation officers in front of her. "Delia keeps to herself. What do you want with her?"

"We're not at liberty to discuss that," Her indirect dismissal of Kirk had irritated him. "We simply need to get into contact with her. When does she come back in?"

"You cannot keep coming in here. This is a publishing agency, not a detective agency. Delia is not here and I cannot help you. Would like to make an appointment? I can help with that." Spock could see a mental battle going on. The previously meek looking woman had set her face in a careful expression of blankness, and kept her voice polite and calm, but it was now obvious that she wanted Kirk gone. He stepped in before Kirk ruined any chances they had of finding Delilah on relatively good terms.

"We would like to relay some information to Delia and it would be greatly appreciated if you could provide us with everything you know about her. We wish her no harm." Christine leveled her eyes with the Vulcan's and he too had a fleeting thought of a felines. There was a moment of silence in which he could see the glittering eyes harden. She would not help them. And he wasted no time in turning around to leave. They would just have to come back when she was not around. He was pleased when Kirk finally succumbed to logic without his admonishing and followed.

"Wait." He and Kirk both turned. Christine was hurriedly scribbling on a piece of paper. "Technically I should not be giving you this information. It's an invasion of privacy but…You won't do her any harm? She's not in trouble?" At the questioning she raised her eyes once again to Spock's.

"No, but it is dire that we speak with her. You have her schedule?"

"I know that she works somewhere else. I'm not sure of her exact work hours, but I know that she's there on Wednesdays around 8. She might not be there, but it's worth a try." Kirk took the few steps back and extended his hand for the paper but she only hesitated.

"She's not in trouble?" She murmured again, retracting her hand. Kirk felt a surge of panic go through him. She could easily rip up the paper and refuse to speak anymore. He knew the only reason she was depending on Spock was because she thought he would not lie. "You won't hurt her?"

"I don't know if she's in trouble. I doubt she's done anything wrong to do so but if she has then she has to expect the punishment. But we need to talk to her to figure out what's going on." Her eyes flicked back up to his, narrowing in deliberation.

"Will you protect her? Even if she's done something wrong, you will protect her from anything beyond legal measures?"

"Yes."

Kirk finally grasped the paper. 

* * *

At 8 p.m. Spock and Kirk stood in front of the decidedly dingy second place of work of Delilah. It was a stark contrast from the clean, modern building that was the publishing agency.

"Do you think she's in there?" Kirk was tired, partly from not having to time to recover from the previous night and partly because of the run around they had been going through with trying to find her.

"Originally it would be presumed that she would be here, but considering the previous events the probability of presence has decreased."

"So no," Kirk sighed.

"Of course, it is not a 100% probability. Our prediction could be wrong."

"There's only one way to find out. Let's go."

The room they found themselves in was dark and small. At the very back of the room sat a desk and behind that desk sat the sole other person in the room. A woman, with a file held before her face. There were two chairs that were adjacent to the desk, seemingly prepared for them. As they sat down, the file was moved and they got to look at the woman who had eluded them for days. A sharp intake of breath could be heard from Spock and Kirk's eyes widened.

"Christine?!"

"Delilah."

* * *

Author's Note: Dun dun dun! I wanted to sneak Delilah in early! Sassiebone guessed it already but for those who don't read the comments, the answer to the reference in Chapter 2 was "He was a captain, not a magician." In the original series that was one of Bones' catchphrases ("I'm a doctor not a…"). What do you guys think of Delilah avoiding two Federation agents so easily? Keep in mind she could have easily had disappeared again before they realized who she was. She turned herself in. Let me know with your comments why you think so. I had a lot of fun writing the roommate scene between Spock and Kirk. It made me want to just write a whole other story just focusing on their escapades in college. Also let me know what/why/how you think Khan was involved with her? Besides the obvious romance theme. Next chapter I'll go into more details about her looks. Thanks for all of the new readers, comments/reviews, followers, and favorites! I really appreciate and it makes me happy to see that people are enjoying my new and improved style.

p.s. Once again…not edited.


	6. Chapter 5

Her hair had been released from the tight bun, revealing shoulder length curls that framed her face. She seemed as composed as she had when they'd first met her yet there was an underlying energy about her. There was a moment of silence as Spock, Kirk, and the now infamous Delilah assessed each other.

"It was you the whole time," Kirk struggled to keep his voice calm though the urge to shout was bubbling under the surface. This woman had managed to slip past his fingers so many times and now she just sat and stared at him with her dark eyes!

"What can I help you with? You seem so eager to meet me," Her volume was soft and her tone smooth; she was completely unperturbed by Kirk's angry gaze.

"You know exactly why you are being interviewed. It is the very same reason you have been running. Do not waste our time further with trivial games." Spock had finally spoken, the shock from the realization having worn off. She turned to look at him, tilting her head slightly at the hint of irritation in his voice.

"This is no trivial matter. I honestly have no idea what you want from me. I know only why I have tried to distance myself from certain…situations." She spoke in a simple way, never breaking eye contact with earnest sentiments shining in her eyes. She seemed to be the epitome of innocence in that moment.

"What was your connection with Khan? You know that there had to be consequences of interacting with him."

"Consequences? Tell me what law did I break? I was not aware that loving a man was against the law."

"_Loving?_" Kirk broke out of his stupor from the look in her eyes. "Loving?! He is not a man; he is a coward, a thief, a conspirator, and a murder! What possibly-"

"And you wonder why I ran. 'The woman who loved the Federation's biggest enemy.' I was not aware of any of this when I met him," She shifted her gaze back to Spock. They could see it in her eyes, the overwhelming feature that stood out in the dim light of the room. They did not know that she was lying, that she had known but still ventured into acceptance of Khan. But they could the emotions. "All I know is that one day he's gone and the next he's crashed a Starfleet ship into San Francisco. What was I supposed to do? Just sit and wait to be arrested for knowing him?"

"How loyal of you," Kirk muttered bitterly. How had this escalated so quickly? It went from her possibly knowing him at best, to loving Khan? They were barely five minutes into the long awaited meeting and he wanted to throw up. This was not supposed to be happening. She seemed the exact opposite of Khan: small, honest, and weak. _But she had managed to evade them_. That thought wormed its way into his head as he sat back to further examine the woman. Khan would only lower himself to talk to her if only to use her.

"Excuse me?" She had leveled her voice to a soft calm at his accusation.

"You claim love, yet you take flight at the first sign of danger." He watched the first shift in the façade that Delilah had carefully placed over her face. Her expression didn't change but her eyes glittered at him with warning. Maybe that's why Khan bothered with her, he thought. Her eyes spoke volumes. He felt then as if he recognized where the idea that eyes were the windows to the soul came from.

"I have priorities. Love or not, there are responsibilities that I need to take care of. Which brings us back to the matter at hand: why were you looking for me? What do you need?"

Now this was a problem that neither Kirk nor Spock had discussed with anyone let alone among themselves. What were they to say to her? What was that they wanted? They goal was ultimately to obtain something or someone to use as leverage against Khan. But this woman's claim to love most likely had little effect on the monster that Khan was. No, he would not ever think to love a weak human woman. The contempt that he had displayed toward the whole species was evidence enough of that. But there had to be something, some reason that had urged him to interact with her.

Besides that it was just as she'd said. She had broken no laws; there was no legal reason to bring her into custody. But this was a time of war. Would they really be questioned for taking her back to Betazed? Would it be logical and productive to do so? It all boiled down to whether or not she was useful to gain Khan's cooperation or not.

"Look, let's just start over," Kirk groaned. He was getting too riled up over this. She was just as much a victim as Thomas Harewood. "We have Khan in custody and it is crucial that he assist us in this war. The stability of the Federation rests on this. However there is no reason for Khan to help. We are just looking for a reason. We were hoping that you could give us one." His voice had dropped several decibels in sound as he watched her go from irritated to cautious. She was closing up on him and that would not better anything.

"You want to use me against him? He doesn't care enough for that," She spoke with conviction as she settled her gaze on the desk in front of her.

"Not against. No harm would come to you or him…We just need-"

"We can guarantee that no harm will come to you. At the end of the war it highly probably that he will be immediately returned into his cryogenic tube where his intelligence will be preserved until the next time of need. He is a threat to the Federation and will be treated as such. You on the other hand are an ally. If you so choose to be so." Spock kept his eyes on Delilah's hands as she fidgeted with her brows drawn together.

"Like I said, I have responsibilities. I cannot just give you my help. I want protection. Everything that is mine is protected. All of my family has to be protected." Kirk's interest only heightened at the terms. She had something that was big enough to use or else she wouldn't be asking for the protection.

"Done."

"You haven't gotten anything approved. There is no paperwork-"

"You have my word," He needed her to agree. Needed her to do this. With her help the war could end very soon. That was all that was needed. He was a man of his word; he would protect if needed. She just needed to look up and see it in his eyes. "Delilah, look at me."

She raised her eyes to his, and he was reminded of that glimpse of innocence he'd seen earlier. No, there was no way Khan could have had any interest in her. She was too naïve, too emotional. He could only have used her as he used anyone else. Kirk felt a wave of pity as they held gazes.

"I promise." When her eyes flickered toward Spock he hurried to assure her. "He promises too. We're the good guys here. You'll be safe. You're family and friends will be safe. We just need your assistance for a limited time."

She frowned again, her brows scrunching together. "You promise…"

"Promise. Please, we need this. _Earth_ needs this."

"Fine. I'm holding you to your word as of now."

"Alright, well first off, we're going to need to move you to a compound on Betazed. We'll leave as soon as possible." Kirk stood giving Spock a happy grin. The first big break that they'd had since awakening Khan! Things were finally going their way. Spock's face remained stoic – as expected – as he too stood.

This dropped as well as Kirk's smile when Delilah stood.

Her small frame was emphasized by a swollen belly.

"Shit!" 

* * *

Author's Note: To be honest… I really didn't like this chapter. I really feel like this is going to end up rewritten because this is just… ugh. I wanted this to be so much better but I felt like I had to give you all something just because of all of the support I've been getting lately. So what do you guys think? Delilah's pregnant. This complicates _everything_. How do you think Khan is going to react to all of this? Do you think he was using her like everyone assumes? Why do you think that he even bothered with her in the first place? Who knows who Thomas Harewood is? Once again, this is not edited.


	7. Chapter 6

What was to be said? Congratulations, you're having Federation Enemy Number 1's baby? You've given me something else to use against Prisoner 1-I-9-F? Kirk had no idea what to say to her. The only that he is positive of in that moment is that he could not yell. Somewhere in his psyche he did not want to upset her. Delilah's actions suddenly became clearer, the stakes had risen and now Kirk hadn't the faintest clue what to do. All of his hesitations involving the ethics of using people against Khan flooded back to him.

A _child_.

How the hell was this supposed to fly with anyone? How could this fly with him? He couldn't bring her in. Everything in his body was telling him to hide her. Take her far away from everyone and keep that baby safe. No child should be a pawn. No child should have to pay for their parents sins.

But then there was the little fact that the future of many planets – over 150 and to be exact – depended on Khan's cooperation. One child could change the fate of entire planets; of the Federation itself. Nervousness began running through him full force and he struggled to do something anything to break the tense silence.

"Well…" A gulp followed. Should he say congratulations? Was she happy? Did she even want the kid?

"Well?" She arched an eyebrow. She glanced at Spock whose pale face was now tinted green. "You promised that my family will be protected," Delilah's eyes narrowed. "That includes my child."

"This is an unprecedented event," Spock finally got the words out of his throat. His mind had been drawn to a blank at the sight of the heavy belly. Logic was conflicting with morality and he had no idea how to act.

"Yes, it was," The slightest hint of amusement was in her voice. Their reactions had somehow comforted her that they would not hurt her. They both seemed more worried than anything. "Will you tell him?"

"It is his child."

"No." The two completely different answers caused the men to turn toward each other.

"What do you mean 'no'? Khan has the right –" Spock immediately started to try and reason with Kirk.

"He lost every right might've had when he tried to destroy San Francisco!" Delilah cleared her throat quietly. They were getting lost in their argument.

"It is probable that the simple knowledge that she gives us or perhaps the fact that we have her will be enough to persuade him to assist the Federation."

"I think that if he knew that we have her – let alone that she's pregnant with his kid – is enough for him to start over his whole 'family' cycle. Did you not forget his whole goal?!"

Delilah attempted to interrupt them again. "Captain Kirk –"

"Come on now, Spock! You are not that cold. She's pregnant!"

"Captain, you are letting emotions cloud your judgment. Remember our current situation."

"Yes, remember the fact that I'm in the room." Delilah finally cut in firmly. "You're obviously confused about what to do so let's take it one step at a time and simplify. First things first: you have two choices now. You let me go and find someone else. Or…or we keep up our deal and you keep me and the baby protected."

The random authority that rang in her voice made them both look at her. From what little they knew of her, it appeared the timid attitude was a front. I wonder if Khan knew she was like this, Kirk thought.

"We need this war to end. And right now, you're our best bet."

"So you will be taking me to Betazed?"

"…Yes."

"Then let's go."

* * *

Bones stared at his new sleeping patient. She seemed far too delicate to have any associations with Khan. But here she was under overnight observation as she was pregnant with his child. Trying to destroy humanity and yet Khan had still found the time to knock someone up.

He really was a super man.

"Is that her?" Uhura slipped into the medical hub.

"Yep. She's not like I thought she would be." He watched as Uhura neared the sleeping woman.

"She's pretty." Bones hummed his agreement as she stared down at the woman. Her eyes drifted from the calm face to her stomach. "Is the baby really his?"

Spock and Kirk had called a meeting as soon as they had landed on Betazed with only Uhura and Bones in attendance. They quickly summarized the situation and then let Bones know that she was waiting in the medical bay for him. This was Uhura's first time seeing the woman.

"According to her, he's the only man she's been with. I'm inclined to believe her. The DNA results should be finished any moment."

"So soon?" Uhura kept her volume down while filling her tone with incredulousness.

"It would have been sooner but I had to modify the system so that there would be no long held record and no alerts sent out to any other staff. Jim said he didn't want the Admiral to know just yet." As if to confirm his statement a muted beep sounded throughout the room.

Bones walked over to the small machine and glanced at the monitor. "Well. That settles it."

"Is he the father?" Uhura began to make her way to him.

"Of course he is." They both whipped around at the voice. Delilah was watching them with hooded lids.

"I didn't mean to wake you…" Uhura shot a glance at Bones. He turned the monitor to reveal the positive results.

"Oh, it's fine," She struggled to get up. "Help a girl out?"

"Oh, yes! Sorry, I don't know what I was thinking." Uhura rushed back over to other woman and assisted her to sit up. "I'm Uhura."

"Delilah. But you know that already. , is my baby healthy?"

"Baby's fine. As to be expected," He slowly walked toward them. "I'm still surprised that you don't want to know what you're having."

"I need a surprise. A happy surprise for once. Thank you, by the way."

"Who me? What for?"

"To the both of you. For treating me decently. I know Khan isn't your favorite person at the moment…" She trailed off after mentioning him. She had been able to remain calm as soon as she had been swept back up into his life, but being on Betazed – being in the same compound as him made her heart beat faster. She had not seen him since her arrival and a large part of her didn't want to. Delilah had accepted the signs and still held hope. She had known that he was wrong and yet she had risked herself for him. And look where it got her.

Alone, pregnant, and in Federation custody.

However despite this, an involuntary shudder ran through her just by knowing his proximity. No she did not want to see him. She needed to.

* * *

Khan stared blankly at the door before him. The Federation was making another wasteful attempt at "persuading" him to help them. This morning he had been prepped to leave his high security cell and then he had been accompanied by five burly officers to this very door. Among them was his personal favorite, Lieutenant Harvey. The young officer was constantly nervous to be in his presence and Khan went between being amused by his feelings to disgusted by them.

Suddenly the door slid open and he was greeted with the usual glare that Kirk deemed fit for him. Khan noted that though the stare had the same vigor as to be expected that the look was entirely different. Kirk seemed haggard, altogether wary, and a bit unsure. The last time he had seen that look was when they had first formally met; ironically, they were in a similar situation. But that was months ago and Kirk's nervous aura affected him more than he would have liked. _What was going on?_

Khan's mind quickly began going through possibilities. What could it be? What had happened? Was there a new development at the war front? Something had happened to Earth? Kirk stepped out of the room surprising the 6 people.

"You won't be conducting our regular interrogation? You just got back," Khan ventured to quip at him, refusing to reveal the unease that was settling in his bones.

"No, I will not," Kirk nodded at the two officers holding his shackles. The turned him around, quickly released their chains, and shoved him handcuffed into the room. "Ten minutes. You get ten minutes."

The door slid closed.

* * *

Delilah felt the Khan induced shudder that she had grown used to since being in the compound. All she could see was his broad back and yet she her breath became short. Almost eight months. It had been almost eight months since she had last seen him and her body was reacting to his presence. And as if he felt the same way – an idea that she knew to be wrong – he stiffened. She watched his muscles ripple as he slowly began turn toward her. Eigth months. Would he be happy to see her? Upset that she had been found? That she was pregnant?

Delilah swallowed thickly. How was she supposed to tell him that she was pregnant? She was sitting at a table high enough to hide her stomach, just as she had when meeting with Kirk and Spock, but surely Khan would notice. The plumpness of her face, the heaviness of her breasts, the glow of her skin. Would he still think of her as beautiful? Or had he simply been whispering nonsense to her before?

More importantly, would he be happy that she was having his child? These thoughts had been plaguing her since they possibility of seeing him had risen and now they were whipping her into an emotional frenzy. She knew how he felt about family, but he had always made it clear _who_ his family was. She was never included in that category. No, she had been the simple girl who he had somehow managed to stand enough to bestow some affection on. Would he even accept his child – her child – as worthy enough?

Delilah was a nervous wreck and she now regretted agreeing to see him so soon. Somehow Kirk had convinced her that all would be well. They wouldn't be together more than ten minutes and Khan would be would shackled. She didn't see the need to shackle him; though she knew he was violent, knew what he was capable of not once had he threatened her. She knew of his beliefs even though he did not outright say it simply from looking in the history books. Despite all this, not once had he ever implied that he would hurt her. No, he had separated her from the rest of her kind and from his true family. Left her in some awkward limbo between worthy and unacceptable.

Lost in her own thoughts, she failed to notice Khan's eyes rove over her. He now understood perfectly what the cause of Kirk's worry was. He was feeling it himself just from the sight of her. She had changed but he could still see bits of the girl he knew. A smile threatened to appear on his face when he noticed that she was day dreaming. That hadn't changed. She was still as beautiful as he had remembered. Her lips were full and poised in an upset pout – a sign that something was on her mind. The expressive eyes shined as usual and her skin looked just as soft as when he last seen her. Her hair had grown an inch or two longer but he suspected she had cut it. She seemed healthy – even happy – and somewhere in his subconscious he was a bit upset over it. Did she miss him? Seeing her had brought on the emotions that he had ignored since becoming coherent.

He had forced himself not to think of her because there was no point to. Never had he thought he would see her again and even if he could he doubted that he would. Not because he didn't want to but because he knew exactly what he could do to her. What he had been doing to her. He would ruin her; he would pick up from the damage he had already caused and continue simply because he couldn't help himself. He had seen the transformation in her. She had been sweet, a bit of a worrier but subtly optimistic. However, after a few months with him he could see Delilah becoming bitter. She would stay awake for hours, days, waiting for him to come back to her. Then she'd be upset that he had even bothered to come back. That he had returned to mess with her emotions. She would yell, tell him to leave, and maybe even throw something at him before locking herself away. Khan in turn would break into her solitude with kisses and hugs to soothe the ache he'd caused.

Even though he knew that he would do it again.

* * *

Author's Note: First off sorry for the length of this author's note. So I left it off here though I wrote another 2 pages to this. I know it's an awkward cliff hanger. But expect chapter 7 soon! I decided that I would just move that on to chapter 7 and heads up! It starts with a flash back. You'll get to see a bit of their dynamic before all of the stuff went down in Into Darkness. I also realized that I did some horrible math when starting this story so I've decided to rectify it. But let's go over everything really quick.

-Khan is awakened by Marcus at some point in time. I'm going to use the fact that we don't know in my favor and say it's been quite some time. At least a year. And a majority of that time Khan and Delilah will be I'm placing his awakening around… late 2257 and early 2258. Delilah won't come in until 2258.

-Khan leaves Delilah and begins his master plan in late 2259, around the same time as the beginning of Into Darkness. This is when the baby is conceived. I'm guesstimating that the season is winter based on how the weather looked in San Francisco during the chase scene between Spock and Khan.

-Into Darkness takes place and I'm just going to say that the whole thing took place in less than week. At the end of the movie it says that it is nearly a year later from the initial San Francisco incident. I'll just shorten that by a bit so it's about 5 months. That makes Delilah about 5 months pregnant. At the end of the movie the Enterprise goes off on a 5 year exploratory mission. For the purposes of this story as soon as they leave out they are attacked and an official declaration of war is soon made.

-By the time my story starts it will be about a month after the declaration of war. Everyone involved is shocked by the damage and casualties brought on by just one month of war and the Federation is desperate for answers. They turn to Khan. It takes basically a month for Spock and Kirk to conduct interrogations and find Delilah. At this time she's over 7 months pregnant. That puts the story in early fall. And that's where we leave off.

So going back to the way this chapter was… not my favorite! Even though Khan and Delilah finally meet I moved the juicy part to the next chapter and so I feel like this one fell short. There was no real interaction…just the immediate reaction. Welp! I'll make up for it in the next chapter! This was an extremely long author's note so I apologize once again.


	8. Chapter 7

_ "Get out," Her back was to him and yet she sensed his presence. She always could. It was an undeniable force that demanded to be acknowledged. He ignored the harsh tone that sprang from the figure by the window, a frown working its way onto his face. He didn't like it when she sounded like that. It didn't fit her. Walking toward her he quickly scanned the area for anything that could come flying toward his head. The last time he had approached her like this she had surprised him with a vase that she'd managed to whip at him with unnatural force._

_"Selene…" He cooed. He preferred calling her by her middle name. The more he got to know her the more that she started to live up to that name. He stopped viewing her as only weak and delicate and started to associate her with the moon: a glowing enigma in the night. He reached her safely and brought his hands up to her shoulders. He had no idea why he couldn't bring himself to dislike her as he did other weak humans but until his plan reached completion he would relish in her company. That meant that she had to be on speaking terms with him._

_"I hate you." The second his hands had landed on her skin Selene spit the words out with convincing venom causing him to wince. Not ever had she said that to him and for a second she couldn't believe that she had. But she suddenly realized that it was the truth. She loved him and hated him at the same time._

_"No, you don't," Khan bent to place a kiss on her shoulder. He refused to even think that it may be true. Though he never said it back to her, he enjoyed hearing her say that she loved him. He liked when he caught her staring at him with awe and to think that she despised him would mean that all of that was gone. He did not love her, but he enjoyed her love. "You're just upset with me."_

_"I have every right to be! Why can't you just let it be? Look how much Earth has progressed since you've been gone? Why are you trying to ruin it? Why can't you join the rest of the world?" She turned to him, trying to ignore the sensation of his calloused hands on her shoulders._

_"I don't belong here. And Marcus –"_

_"I'm not stupid! You could simply report him. You could ignore him. You could run. You could stay home with me. You could do anything but this. Whatever it is you're doing."_

_"Selene," Khan could feel the frustration rising in him. She would never understand what it's like to a whole family dependent on her. She would never understand how much he missed them, how he struggled to think of ways to save them. How he struggled with guilt for the happiness he had when she was in arms while they lay in frozen tombs. "I don't belong here. My family doesn't belong here."_

_"Well I belong here. Now what? Huh?" She stared up at him, eyes glistening with unshed tears. She was pointing at the elephant in the room, the one that had been around for the last month. She heard about his family every day now. At first she had been elated that he was opening up to her, fascinated by the powerful people he described to her. But soon she could feel jealousy worming its way into her heart. He spoke of them with so much reverence and pride and it was obvious that she was not included. She was nothing but a child in his eyes and she was positive that as soon as he could manage, Khan would leave with his family. She knew she loved him and though she was aware that he didn't love her too, she knew that he was attached to her. She realized that the morning she had woken before him and he had pulled back into his chest whispering for her to stay with him forever while he was half-asleep. But he never said that she was included in his plans to leave, and she never asked to be included for fear of rejection. They both avoided the topic and now she could no longer take it. Was he just planning on using her as a bed warmer until he left? Was he planning on continuing where he left off hundreds of years ago and sink the world into turmoil?_

_Khan stood still at her question. He knew that she was meant to be on earth despite his secretive want to take her with him. He had been debating with himself whether or not he could bring himself to go that far. He could see the problems that he was causing her and he knew he was making her suffer. But he still wanted her. He was selfish. Seeing that he was not going to answer, Selene shoved past him._

_His silence was enough. She tried to head toward the bathroom to lock him out but his hand landed firmly on her elbow and she was reminded of his extra strength. "Selene."_

_"Just let me go," It was a quiet plea. She didn't just want him to let her arm go, she wanted him to leave. And he knew._

_"Selene…" He pulled her into his chest, pressing his lips to the top of her head. The tears finally fell then, sobs shaking her body. He wouldn't let her go. He wouldn't._

_"I hate you," Her muffled cry caused a sharp pain to shoot through his chest._

_"I know."_

* * *

Memories that he had tucked away since his awakening came flooding back at the sight of her and Khan didn't know what to do. Selene was still lost in her thoughts and for a moment he could not speak. She had been his sole true companion since his first reawakening, his first lover in centuries and she was ultimately the only person he had come close to loving outside his family.

"Selene," Khan subconsciously choked out her name. The sound broke her from her trance and she blinked in his direction. His feet moved toward her of their own accord. How long had it been since he'd seen her?

For her part, she fought to remain seated. She did not want to reveal that she was pregnant just yet but a slight optimism flushed through her. His eyes were fixated on her much in the same way that they used to and she found herself hopeful that he would be pleased. Pleased that she was there, pleased that she was pregnant, pleased that she was safe. She knew the circumstances were horrible, but she wanted him to be just as happy as she was to simply see his face.

"Selene, Selene," He was muttering her name over and over again as he neared the table. The closer he neared the more excitement and horror she felt. What if he didn't feel the same way?

"Wait," Her voice finally rang out and Khan felt a wave of relief that he didn't know he need rush over him. She was really there, sitting before him. His mind was so focused on her that he didn't think of the situation they were in. The shackles on his wrist seemed nonexistent as well as the interrogation room in which they were being reunited. All that mattered was that she was alive and well and giving him a faint smile. "Wait, Khan. I –"

"Come here," He had stopped as she requested but he was now lost in his memories. "Come here."

She remembered when he would say that to her before all of the drama started. She would be nervous and jittery as she tried to avoid eye contact. He always found it amusing to her fidget as she meekly obeyed his command. And every time – without fail – she was rewarded with a kiss.

But she could not come now. Not with a belly heavy with his child that he didn't even know existed. Why hadn't he said something about it yet? Did he really not notice? She would have to make it obvious to him what their current situation was.

"Khan, I have to –" As if suddenly reminded of his settings his straightened his back and narrowed his eyes. She was here. On Betazed. In a Federation Compound. And they were going to use her against him.

"Why are you here?" He knew now, but he wanted her to deny it. He wanted a sign that she had been forced, a sign that she was not going to attempt to use him too like all of the other weak humans. She wasn't like that. It didn't fit her. Unless she had changed in the last few months.

"I'll get to that. But first –"

"Do not change the subject. Why are you here? In this room?" The characteristic augment anger was rising in him. If she was going to use him, worse if they had hurt her, he would lose his mind.

"I'm trying to tell you something very important so if you could please stop being an a–"

"Selene, I swear – "

"I'm pregnant."

* * *

Author's Note: Leaving it off there! I know I said expect another chapter soon but did you think it'd be this soon? Either way, leave your comments about what you think in reviews section! I love hearing from you guys. And this is how Delilah Selene Warren will be addressed in the book: Delilah by those who don't know her (and I will refer to her as that when she is around them) and Selene solely by Khan. It's a special thing between the two of them and I hope you guys were able to tell that he has a thing for it. I hope it's not too confusing.

I also feel like simply saying that though Khan is violent, we can't let it overshadow the core parts of him. All of that anger and violence is passion. He's intelligent as well and I think that based off all that he was willing to do for people shows that he a people-person in his own weird way. So I hope you all don't think that just because he's aloof and calculating with Federation members that he can't be gentle and affectionate with Selene. He only acts that way with people he deems worthy. Of course that doesn't mean he can't be a complete jerk as shown in that flashback… Let me know if you liked that. I'm thinking of using them more. I can't decide if I just want to start off every chapter with a flashback or if I will just when they are directly relevant to something that happens. I kind of want to start off each new chapter with a flashback because it'll give you more insight into what they were like as a "couple" if you would call it that and that won't happen unless I do little flashbacks in the beginning of each chapter. It wasn't all depressing as this first one!

After these next few chapters, I'll get back into the more political aspect of everything. Can't forget that its wartime. Also, please keep in mind that none of these chapters are edited. They will be edited once the story is completely finished.


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